The EOLE Project: A multiwavelength laser remote sensing (lidar) system for ozone and aerosol measurements in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere. Part II: Aerosol measurements over Athens, Greece

Ground-based measurements of suspended aerosols in the lower troposphere (0.6-3.5 km height) in Athens, Greece were performed for a period of 10 days in November 1994. The measurements were performed in a suburban area in the northern part of the Athenian basin, using a two-wavelength backscattering lidar system operating at 355 nm and 532 nm, simultaneously. The lidar system was pointing vertically and was operated under different meteorological conditions. A lidar inversion algorithm was applied to determine the vertical profile of the aerosol backscattering coefficient in the 0.6-3.5 km altitude range. The analysis of the bi-dimensional cross-section of the aerosol backscattering coefficient and slope rate, for two selected cases, in conjunction with radiosonde, solar UV-B irradiance and in situ air pollution data, gave the possibility to study air pollution characteristics inside the Athens basin.